


My Love For You is Shackled and Restrained

by Junemo10



Series: Whumptober 2020 Works [1]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon, Angst, Canon Era, Hurt Merlin (Merlin), M/M, Magic Revealed, Protective Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Torture, Waking up Restrained, Whump, no.1 - Freeform, shackled
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-02
Updated: 2020-10-02
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:34:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26765863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Junemo10/pseuds/Junemo10
Summary: Merlin and Arthur wake up shackled and restained, being held captive by a mysterious being that seems to know WAY too much about their personal lives.Merlin has never feared much, but what happens when several of his greatest fears combine at once?
Relationships: Merlin/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Series: Whumptober 2020 Works [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1955269
Comments: 25
Kudos: 402





	My Love For You is Shackled and Restrained

**Author's Note:**

> NO.1 LETS HANG OUT SOMETIME: waking up restrained, shackled  
>   
> Here is a submission for Whumptober 2020!  
> This is my first fic being posted, no beta. So please be gentle with my heart!  
> Thank you to everyone who encouraged me to post! 
> 
> Warnings: violence, magic violence, mild torture, depictions of pain, being shackled and restrained, being held captive, descriptions of fear.
> 
> Thank you for reading!

Merlin gasped awake, a strangled cry erupting from his lips as he whipped sideways from a painful slap across his face. His body heaved in shock, sucking in deep breaths while trying to regain his senses. His wrists and arms screamed in agony, and as he came to, he glanced up to see the tight metal shackles around his wrists and the chains that were suspending them above his head. He tried to stop his swaying body with his toes, just barely able to touch the ground. 

But there was something else too. He could feel it. Something was very wrong.

“Merlin?” came a familiar voice from somewhere, sounding urgent and pained. Merlin lifted his head and blinked his eyes, wincing at the burning sensation in his cheek. His eyes searched in the direction of the voice, landing on the shadowed, hunched figure on the other side of the room. He couldn’t make out any defining features, but out of habit Merlin automatically knew who it was. 

“A-Arthur?” Merlin managed, his throat feeling dry. He tried to swallow to speak again, but before he could say anything more, strong fingers dug into his hair and yanked hard, causing his head to jerk up. Merlin couldn’t help the pained gasp that escaped him. 

“Good morning Merlin,” a cruel voice breathed harshly into his ear. Merlin strained his eyes sideways to get a look at his attacker, but the figure seemed to move out of his line of sight purposefully. “Glad to see you are up. We were getting bored of talking about you.”

“Talking about me?” Merlin licked his dry lips, willing the shakiness out of his voice. “All good things, I hope?” 

“Oh, of course. We were just discussing how great you are at your job. Taking care of Arthur and all.” She sneered, and Merlin tried to tilt his head away to no avail, her fingers digging into his scalp. “He is so fickle, don’t you think? The way he treats you like a dog, always ordering you around. Yet simultaneously caring about you an awful lot more than a prince is meant to care for his servant.” 

Merlin frowned but offered none of his thoughts. However, that didn’t seem to mean much to her, reading him almost as if she could hear the protests in his head. 

“Oh, Merlin. Are you both really that blind? You cannot see what is in front of you?” The hand pushed his head until it was facing forward, looking in the direction of Arthur. Merlin’s eyes had adjusted a little better now, and he could make out more of the prince. He was chained to the wall by long chains that closed around his wrists as well. Merlin’s arms felt a hint of jealousy that he was seated with his back against the stone. The chainmail Merlin had dressed him in that morning was missing. Only the red tunic, torn and dirtied, remained. Merlin found himself scanning his eyes over the fabric, looking for any blood spots or injuries. Arthur was looking at him when he looked back up to his face, and that’s when Merlin saw it. The strain in his eyes, the set of his jaw, the tenseness to his shoulders. The fear, the concern. It wasn’t just there to see; it was being offered. 

It was being offered to  _ Merlin _ .

Merlin frowned. Of course, Arthur was worried about him. He was chained up and about to be possibly tortured. Did their captor think Arthur was incapable of feelings? 

“Arthur expressed a need for me to let you go. I thought that was quite sweet. But futile,” Finally, her hand released Merlin’s head in a painful jerk, and she moved.

A tall woman came to stand in front of Merlin, with a presence that immediately made his skin prickle. He squirmed at the uncomfortable feeling, unable to identify it right away. Up close, he was able to make out her features. Her dress was a corrupting  grandeur , almost black as night, long, and seemingly never-ending. Her hair was a tangled mess of dark curls, flowing endlessly past her waist. Her mouth was set in a devilish smirk, and her eyes-

Merlin felt his breath catch in his throat. 

Her eyes were glowing a startling violet. They were bright with a phosphorescence that pierced into him suddenly and sent chills down his spine. He shivered involuntarily, feeling the way they were digging into his soul. He knew immediately what the feeling he had was.

Magic. She had magic. 

She seemed to know the effect she had on Merlin as well, and her eyebrow quirked with a knowing look. Merlin felt his heart race with panic and tried to feel for his magic, calling for something, anything. 

  
But there was nothing. 

_ No, no, no.  _

He realized it then, the unidentifiable  _ thing _ he was feeling. He looked up at the shackles around his wrists and saw what he had missed the first time. Something was encasing the metal—something powerful, making the metal bend around his wrists like a second skin.

And it was restraining his magic. 

He looked at the sorceress, trying to temper down the rush of emotions he was feeling. She knew. She knew, and he was powerless. She knew, and Arthur-

She only glinted back at him. 

“What do you want with us?” Arthur spat, and Merlin could hear the anger in his voice. He tried to glance past her to see Arthur, but the sorceress blocked his line of sight.

“Oh, I want to hurt you, Arthur. I want to hurt your family the way your father hurt mine.” She glanced over her shoulder. “Took everything from me, he did. Everyone I ever loved.” There was a sadness to her voice that made Merlin’s heart clench. He couldn’t blame her for wanting revenge on Uther. The unjust, magic-despising King had no heart, just an empty hollow chest. Merlin himself had ill wishes for the man, hoping that he would get what he deserved one day. But never once did Merlin wish for Arthur to suffer because of his father’s misdeeds. 

Arthur was not his father. 

“I wanted your father to feel the same way,  _ Prince _ Arthur. To feel the pain, I carry with me every day. To know what it feels like to have your heart ripped out of your chest.” Merlin flinched as her arm reached out and placed her hand over the left side of his chest. Where his heart was. 

“Look, I’m sorry for your loss. If I could change what my father has done, I would. But this? Merlin? Merlin means nothing to my father.”

“Gee, thanks,” Merlin muttered, unable to help himself. He could imagine the stern look Arthur would be giving him right then. 

_ Shut up, Merlin.  _

“Oh, yes, I am aware. Your father cares so little for the people who do everything for him.” Her hand gripped Merlin’s jacket, causing him to swing towards her. “No, Merlin is here because he was glued to you out in those woods; I had no choice but to grab you both. Finding out the way you feel about him was just a happy addition.” 

Suddenly, she grabbed his chin harshly, lifting his gaze until he met hers. 

“Finding out what  _ you _ have, Merlin?” She grinned wickedly. “Now  _ that _ was a delicious surprise.” 

Merlin felt his panic building up in his chest, but he wasn’t sure what he could do. He had nothing—no way to stop her. No way to prevent her from telling Arthur-

“What the hell are you talking about? Merlin is just a servant; he doesn’t  _ have _ anything.” Arthur protested from the other side. Merlin met the woman’s eyes, pleading, begging. 

“Arthur, I had really hoped you weren’t just a pretty face, but I can see now that you are precisely that.” The woman sighed, dropping her hands from Merlin. His body swung oppositely for a moment, and he gasped at the painful pull on his arms, quickly searching the ground with his toes to stop the motion. “Not to worry. I’ve got to say, Merlin, you really are quite the deceiver.”

“Don’t,” Merlin warned, but the edge to his voice did nothing but encourage her. 

“Oh Merlin, aren’t you tired of hiding it? Of lying to everyone you know? Of worrying every second of every day that it could be your last?” She tilted her head at him solemnly. “Or do you know that once Arthur finds out, you’ll have to see just how much of Uther is really in your prince?” Her grin was monstrous and pervading with chaos. 

“Merlin?” Arthur’s voice was quiet, but Merlin still heard it. The uneasiness to his voice, the apprehension. Merlin closed his eyes. 

_ Please, no. _

“Not to worry, Merlin, you won’t have a secret to protect for much longer.” The sorceress cackled, stepping back and raising her arm toward the cuffs on his wrists. Her eyes glowed, the vibrant purple color, unlike anything Merlin had ever seen before. Then there was a burning sensation, and he cried out, glancing up to where her magic was making the metal illuminate with a violet glow. 

“Leave him alone!” Arthur yelled, standing up and tugging on his chains. 

“W-hat, what are you doing!” Merlin hissed through his gritted his teeth, trying to stop the shrieks that wanted to escape him.

“Don’t worry, Merlin. It will all be over soon.” Her eyes met his with sickening cheerfulness. “Don’t fight it; it will be more painful if you do. Give me your magic, and all of your troubles will go away.” 

The magic was sliding down his arms, over his head, passing over his chest- he could feel it reaching every inch of him, and it _ hurt _ . 

“Don’t! Please!” Arthur shouted, or at least, that’s what Merlin _ thought  _ he heard, but it sounded so far away. The world seemed to be fading around him. He could feel the strength of the sorceress’s magic pulling on his own, yanking, wrenching. He didn’t know what it wanted until it was too late, feeling the invasive magic clutch at his own and  _ pull _ . 

Merlin screamed. 

The pain was too much; he couldn’t breathe. It was like a dagger digging into an open wound, piercing into his soul with a vigor Merlin couldn’t follow. It was everywhere and everything at once. 

“ _ Stop _ !” Merlin howled, feeling something break inside himself. Like a taunt, strained rope, he snapped. 

Something exploded from inside him and attacked the sorceress’s magic with a blinding light. The woman wailed a desolate and horrid sound that echoed throughout the room, as Merlin’s magic acted on impulse, destroying every touch of hers. Destroying her.

And as quickly as it had begun, it was all over. 

Merlin crashed to the ground with a moan. His entire body was feeling as though it had been fried from the inside out. 

“Merlin!” 

A hand touched his arm, gently shaking him. Merlin could only moan in response. 

“Merlin, for the love of- just say something. Please. Just open your eyes.” Arthur’s voice was haggard and desperate. The tone alone made Merlin open his eyes, not wanting Arthur to worry. Arthur let out a relieved sigh, sagging on his knees next to Merlin. “Are you alright?” 

“Hurts,” Merlin managed, his throat scratchy and sore. “Is she…?”

“She’s-” Arthur paused, and there was a look in his eyes that made Merlin wince. 

It was fear, no longer being offered to Merlin, but fear  _ of Merlin _ . 

“Arthur I-” Merlin tried to get up but inhaled sharply at the pain. Every nerve in his body sparked on fire. “A-Arthur.” He felt the hands back on him, one hand cupping his cheek. 

“I’m here, Merlin. Christ. What did she do to you?”

“She was trying...to take my…magic,” Merlin huffed out in a labored effort before taking a deep breath and letting it out in a ramble. “Arthur I, I have magic. I’m so sorry-” the sound of a snort cut him off.

“You think?” Arthur let out a long breath. “Merlin. I wish you had told me but,” he tilted his head, waiting for Merlin to meet his eyes. “I’m glad you have it...I’m glad you’re not dead.” Merlin frowned, searching Arthur’s eyes. 

“So, you’re...not going to have me killed?” 

“You are such an idiot sometimes, Merlin,” Arthur shook his head, and Merlin felt a thumb brush across his cheek. “I wish you had felt comfortable enough to tell me but, after everything that just happened? After my father? I can’t even bring myself to be angry. That woman was right. My father committed so many heinous crimes against magic users…I don’t want to be like him. I  _ won’t  _ be like him.”

“You aren’t,” Merlin said softly, blinking up at the prince,  _ his king _ . Arthur just looked down at him with a fondness that made Merlin’s heart swell. Arthur nodded with a sad smile. 

“Thank you, Merlin.” Arthur’s hand fell from Merlin’s cheek and rested over his heart, in the same place the woman’s had. But this time, there was a warm radiance that emanated from the pressure through Merlin’s chest, and he felt himself sigh from the comforting sensation. 

“ _ This way! They’re escaping! _ ” Voices from far outside the cell shouted, and the pair froze, realizing they needed to go. 

“Can you move?” Arthur asked, gently lifting Merlin’s arm. Merlin winced, letting out soft gasps of air. 

“Not really, but we have to go,” Merlin pushed himself up shakily, Arthur helping to heave his body weight by slinging his arm over Arthur’s shoulders and wrapping his own strong one around Merlin’s waist. “Careful!”

“God Merlin, what do you even weigh? I think my sword is heavier than you,” Arthur asked, looking down at Merlin with a perturbed look that made Merlin want to laugh. 

“Not all of us are fed as well to get plump and round as you,  _ sire _ ,” Merlin mumbled through a clenched jaw as they painfully made their way toward the cell door. Arthur seemed not to hear him, however, evidently too troubled. 

“Seriously, do you ever eat? You’re like a twig Merlin.” Arthur grunted, despite his claims of Merlin weighing nothing. 

“Honestly, Arthur, can we just focus on not dropping this twig?” 

“Fine, but we are discussing this when we get back.”

  
“Yes, sure, fine, whatever you say,” Merlin rolled his eyes as they came to the cell door. They paused.

“I would kick it down and all, but seeing how you are a powerful sorcerer and all-” Arthur shrugged, pulling Merlin a little closer.

“Right,” Merlin said awkwardly. He mustered up a little strength, unsure if he was even able to use his magic after the explosion. The magic came to him, though, and his eyes glowed as the metal door blew off its hinges, it landed swiftly with a clang. When he turned to look at Arthur, he found the prince watching in fascination. 

“Christ, you just….imagine all the situations we were in that you could’ve just used your magic to get us out of!” Arthur complained as they passed over the door with difficulty. 

“You really think I haven’t?” 

“ _ There, I see them! _ ” came from somewhere down the hall. 

“This conversation is to be continued,” Arthur looked at Merlin sternly, and Merlin couldn’t help but smile at the opportunity to tell Arthur about all the times he saved his arse. 

  
“Looking forward to it,  _ my lord _ .” 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Sending you lots of love!


End file.
